Richard Moe to Receive Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award

National Trust for Historic Preservation to present award at its national conference

The National Trust for Historic Preservation will present the Crowninshield Award—considered to be preservation’s highest honor—to Richard Moe, former president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Moe is one of 18 award winners to be honored by the National Trust during its 2013 National Preservation Conference in Indianapolis, Ind.

Richard Moe was the seventh and longest-serving president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. During his tenure, he built the capacity of statewide and local partner organizations. In doing so, he increased collaboration across the country, unified efforts, and strengthened the movement overall. He forged a powerful alliance among preservationists, conservationists and historians to prevent the construction of an inappropriate theme park in the historic Northern Virginia Piedmont. The battles led by Moe against corporate giants such as Disney and Wal-Mart helped to save both iconic and vernacular places nationwide.

Throughout Moe’s career at the National Trust, he worked to spotlight preservation’s crucial role in economic, social and environmental sustainability, and focused attention on threats facing historic and cultural resources on America’s public lands. He effectively ended the National Trust’s longstanding reliance on federal appropriations and completed two successful fundraising campaigns. The result: unprecedented financial independence and stability for the organization.

“Under Richard Moe’s leadership, the National Trust advanced the public’s understanding of how our historic landscapes and places reflect our national identity and why they must be preserved,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “He championed the preservation of places that represent the diversity of our country, sought to protect public lands, and responded proactively to the catastrophic effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast. With Moe at the helm, the preservation movement’s focus shifted from simply saving historic buildings to instilling a preservation ethic across America. In turn, the National Trust became a more credible, visible and effective force on a national level. Richard Moe embodies the vitality and passion of historic preservation. He was, and is, a transformational leader.”

Moe’s book, Changing Places: Rebuilding Community in the Age of Sprawl, spoke to a vision of “whole environment” preservation. There he addressed critical national issues such as sprawl, the loss of neighborhood schools, and the importance of preserving landmarks of modernism and the recent past.

The award will be presented to Richard Moe at the Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Awards ceremony in Indianapolis, Ind., on November 1, 2013.

The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. These efforts include citizens’ attempts to save and maintain important landmarks; companies and craftsmen whose work restores the richness of the past; the vision of public officials who support preservation projects and legislation in their communities; and educators and journalists who help Americans understand the value of preservation. The winners of the National Preservation Awards will appear online at www.PreservationNation.org/awards.

The 2013 National Preservation Award Winners:

Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award: Richard Moe, Washington, D.C.

National Trust/Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation: Presidio Public Health Service District, San Francisco, Calif.